The American biotechnology company Moderna announced this Friday to file a complaint against Pfizer and BioNTech for patent infringement concerning their messenger RNA vaccine against Covid-19.
"Moderna is satisfied that Pfizer and BioNTech's Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine infringes patents filed by Moderna between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna's fundamental messenger RNA technology," said a statement from the firm.
Revolutionary technology
Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech were the first to put their coronavirus vaccines into production, very soon after the start of the pandemic, thanks to this messenger RNA technology which allows human cells to be ordered to manufacture proteins present in the virus. in order to accustom the immune system to recognize and neutralize it.
Until then, vaccines relied on weakened or inactivated forms of the virus to train the body to defend itself, and the development of remedies, as well as clinical trials to verify their safety, could take several years.
The use of messenger RNA technology in Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccines, among the most injected in the world, was the culmination of four decades of research that has overcome many obstacles
“This breakthrough technology was crucial to the development of Moderna's own messenger RNA vaccine, Spikevax.
Pfizer and BioNTech copied this technology, without Moderna's permission, to manufacture Comirnaty,” Moderna's statement added.
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